Statin Side-effects: Muscle pain and weakness

So my heart rhythm problems could be a side effect of using statins?

Almost positively, certainly, no. Heart rhythm defects are electrical. Statins do not affect your hearts electrical conductivity or the origins of any impulses, they being the SA node and the AV node.

Heart electrical disorders come from damaged substrate in the myocardium, including from disease and from structural changes such as mitral valve or aortic valve degradations. They can come from occluded feeder vasculature that leaves certain areas dead and unable to help with the pumping processes. That puts a strain on other musculature and causes morphology changes, including prolapses of the mitral valve in some cases. Cardiac muscles that have to take up some slack change shape and dimension, which can cause fibrosis and valve problems. Atrial enlargement is a common result of prolonged supraventricular tachycardias of all kinds. This enlargement also encourages mitral valve prolapse, but also even more fibrosis. A fibrotic heart is a diseased heart, and it will probably succumb in time to an arrythmia.

Statins aren't to blame here.

Thank you for your quick reply. I am 80 years old and, up till now, lucky to have had no major medical problems and have lived a very active life. It seems turning 80 begins with the advent of taking statins and heart palpitations, brain fog, lethargy, shortness of breath, and some minor depression with a higher than average (for me) irritation level. Don't know how they all fit together and my doctor is testing everything possible...lung MRI, PET scan, sleep apnea test, echocardiogram. I have started using oxigen at night, but see--and feel--no difference. Oxigen reading on my pulsometer is still in the low 90s. I still go to pilates each week and aerial yoga and regular yoga, but my motivation to do more is lacking. I hope to hit the slopes once there is a bit more snow.

Sorry to see you losing ground like this.

If your O2 sats are that low, you DO have apnea...or a lung condition that is yet undiagnosed. Or anemia, mebbe? Something is inhibiting your O2 perfusion or its uptake. Most of us, even with AF (atrial fibrillation) manage to keep ourselves north of about 95%.

I'm glad you're open to trials of one kind or another, such as taking extra oxygen at night. However, even with a good strong flow directly into you nares, if you can't get air past your throat due to obstructive apnea................................................ You might want to trial a CPAP machine that can control hypopnea events or obstructive events.....or central apnea events. As we age, we lose muscle mass, including around our shoulders and in the neck. This means that, over time, your sleep position changes somewhat. It might mean that you are kinking your neck sufficiently that you are closing off your trachea just enough to cause a lot of resistance, which is what a CPAP machine can monitor with the manometer sensor built into it. These are called 'flow limitations', and they'll be part of the data recorded by the CPAP each night. The machines also record each hypopnea, obstructive, and central apneic event.

Keep chipping away at this big block of mystery. Eventually, it will show some big cracks developing, and you'll know you're on top again.

Dear Ginny, just a word on the statin issue. I’ve been on low-dose Pravastatin for my triglycerides for a couple of decades (now 79 yoa) and have had no issues with it, but there are many statin products out there and I actually switched to Pravastatin from another brand of statin that nearly immediately caused muscle aches and weakness in my forearms. I don’t believe your current complaints relate to the statin. When I got spells of lightheaded and shortness of breath during the pandemic I went to the ER, thinking it was anxiety, where they noticed my numerous preventricular contractions and recommended that my doctor put me on a heart monitor. That ended up probably saving my life. Maybe your internist will prescribe a month of monitoring and identify what’s going on? I’m not a medical professional, so this is just my take on your troubles… good luck.

Thanks, brightwood! I have a-fib & know all about heart monitors. I’m seeing my cardiologist in December & I’ll discuss the statin with him then. Take care of yourself. God bless you!

I take my pill at night just before bed with no problems.

Have you had scans to see if you have plaque buildup in your arteries? That is the main issue. A friend of mine has very high cholesterol but no blockages so he does fine without statins. I recently switched to Praluent due to muscle weakness with Crestor, but the side effects are much worse. I am going to go back to a low dose of Crestor. Unfortunately I have blocked arteries so I don’t feel comfortable going off statins completely.

You're very welcome. My high cholesterol seems to be purely genetic. I'm 5'10" and 160 lbs, I've never had a problem with weight - big caveat - as long as I ate a healthy diet, avoid added sugar, and hit cardio exercising consistently and with intent.

My Mom barely weighed 100 lbs and had a total cholesterol reading consistently around 300. So I don't think I have a choice but to use a statin.

I do believe that for some people cholesterol can be maintained in a healthy range with a proper and healthy diet and regular exercise - and keeping weight as close to normal as possible.

All the best to you! Joe

Back in the day, we had a country doctor who cared for all the young and old folks, birth and death. Lab work didn't exist for us, nor was there any cholesterol knowledge. None of us took any medication other than natural things that folklore mentioned for what ailed us. Most of the community lived a long life. The age of 80 to the high 90's wasn't unusual. I remember my grandpa frying up sausage patties and then pouring the grease on his flapjacks instead of syrup. We buried him when he had just turned 94. No heart attacks or strokes. Copperhead bite got him. Sometimes not knowing what ales you keeps you better off than taking all kinds of medications that may have side effects making you worse off than when you started.